Ideas from Massimo Ostitells the story of the creator of the clothing brands C.P. Company and Stone Island. Crowned the most important man of 1990s menswear by Arena Homme +, Massimo Osti (1944-2005) was one of the most respected and imitated designers of his generation, whose innovations confounded the rules of the industry and created the fabrics of today. This is the story of a fashion engineer who throughout the 1970s and 1980s created an entirely new category of clothing--today known as "urban sportswear"--that was inspired as much by the cultural ferment of those years as by Osti's enormous archive of vintage military uniforms and work wear. The book tells its story through images of Osti's most important designs: his innovations in garment dyeing, his development of new fabrics inspired by the tarps truck drivers use to batten down loads, and other materials such as rubber flax, the "Ice Jacket" that changes colors with the temperature, or "Technowool," a wool and nylon wear-resistant "urban armor." Ideas from Massimo Ostiassembles sketches, photocopies, scraps of fabric, buttons, accessories and images of the celebrities that promoted his creations, from Bono and Madonna to Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper.